Rachel Ruddy

Who is Rachel Ruddy?

Rachel Ruddy is a Dublin Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football player from the Ballyboden St Endas club. She was an Camogie All-Star nominee in 2008. Along with Andrea Fitzpatrick she was named Joint Dublin Player of the Year in 2008, and in 2010 she won a Purcell Cup All Star award. With her club Ballyboden St Endas, she won a Dublin Senior Camogie Championship title as well as a Leinster Senior Club Camogie Championship award. Also with her club, she has a Leinster Senior Ladies Football club title from 2007 as well as a Dublin championship title. Ruddy graduated in physiotherapy from Trinity College Dublin.

Ruddy knew if she were to ever improve her GAA skills, she would have to go after the holy grail of Ladies Football - the Asian Gaelic Games Ladies Cup. Luckily for her the Singapore Gaelic Lions charitably agreed to let her play, on a trial basis. Ruddy underwent the rigorous initiation rites involved; the soloing of the ball the length of Orchard Road, memorising and publicly reciting the SGL chant on Clarke Quay & actively demonstrated the ladylike qualities of grace and composure so beloved of her new team-mates. Thanks to the long hours and dedicated efforts of the management team, Ruddy eventually improved and managed to achieve the last place on the Ladies A panel competing for the 2011 AGG title. The generosity of her team-mates shone through, allowing her to sub on for a handful of the matches & time to soak up the talents Ruddy was witnessing. Subbing for the last two minutes of the final allowed Rachel the chance to get her first touch of the ball when she had a hand pass out of mid-field. She was later quoted as saying this was her finest hour. Incidentally, Singapore Gaelic Lions won their third AGG title in a row.